'Harry Potter' still spells success

CBSMarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" topped the box office for a second weekend, bringing in more than $35 million and lifting its 10-day total to $158 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

"Shrek 2" slipped from second to third place in its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $24 million but pushing its domestic gross to $354 million, the Associated Press reported. That made it the top-grossing animated movie, passing the $339.7 million gross of "Finding Nemo."'

"The Chronicles of Riddick,'' with Vin Diesel, opened in the No. 2 spot with $24.6 million. The remake of "The Stepford Wives," starring Nicole Kidman, opened in fourth place with $22.2 million and "Garfield" took fifth place, with $21.7 million.

The AP reported that revenues for the third movie in the "Harry Potter" saga fell 63 percent from the movie's opening weekend gross of $93.7 million. In 2002, revenues for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' fell 52 percent in its second weekend, though that movie opened in November. "The Prisoner of Azkaban" was the first "Harry Potter'' movie to open in summer, when competition is stronger. The AP reported that as more classes let out for summer, distributor Warner Bros.
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is counting on steady weekday business from youngsters to help sustain "Harry Potter,'' said Dan Fellman, the studio's head of distribution.

"We're in good shape, even though we took a pretty good drop this weekend,'' Fellman was quoted as saying.

The movie's 10-day total still is almost $10 million ahead of "Chamber of Secrets,'' which took in $148.4 million in that length of time.

Hollywood's big season continued, with revenues running 14 to 15 percent ahead of last summer, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The top 12 movies grossed $155.5 million, up 34 percent from the same weekend in 2003.

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